Ratchet-wrench.



W. C. KLIBER.

RATCHET WRENCH.

APPLICATION mu) DC.23. 1915.

1,197,500. Patentxad Sept. 5,1916.

WILLIAM G. KLIBER, OF FEDERALSBURG, MARYLAND.

BATCHET-WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

Application filed December 23, 1915. Serial No. 68,418.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. KLIBER, acitizen of the United States, residing at Federalsburg, in the county ofCaroline and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Ratchet- Wrenches, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention appertains to ratchet tools, the object in view being toprovide such a tool with specially arranged cooperating jaw members sodisposed that their adjustable relation with respect to each other iscontrolled by their longitudinal movement transversely of the body ofthe tool.

It is further comprehended as an object to provide means for actuatingthe jaw members so as to cause them to more or less project from thebody of said tool and simultaneously regulate their adjustment wherebyto enable the engagement with varying sizes of objects.

These and such other objects as may hereinafter appear are attained bythe novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts to behereinafter specifically described and claimed.

Reference will now be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a device constructed in accordance withmy invention; Fig. 2 is a bottom plan View thereof; Fig. 3 is alongitudinal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4is a sectional view on the plane indicated by the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing and specifically describing this device, thenumeral 1 indicates the handle portion of the tool which forms thesubject matter of this invention, said handle portion of the toolterminating at one end in a head holding ring 2. Seated within this ringis a revoluble head 3 having at its periphery ratchet teeth 4 with whicha reversible pawl 5 normally engages. The pawl 5 is pivotally mounted at6 and held in engaged position by a spring 7 which is so disposed as toperform its function when either of its engaging extremities is inoperative position with respect to the head 3. Said head is annularlygrooved as indicated at 8 to receive a locking ring or equivalentlocking member 9 which coacts with the 55 apertured extremity 2 of thehandle to hold the head 3 in position. As will be obvious 'or body ofthe tool.

upon reference to Fig. 2, the ring 9 is a split ring in order to enableits attachment or removal according to whether the head is to be placedon or removed from the handle Slidably mounted in suitable passages oropenings in said head are cooperating jaw members 10, said jaw membersbeing arranged substantially axially of the head 3 and transverselythereof so as to be capable of movement in a transverse direction tomore or less project laterally from the body of the tool. It willfurthermore be observed that the jaw members 10 are arranged diagonallywith respect to each other so that as they are moved longitudinally theywill approach or recede from each other according to whether they aremoved outwardly or inwardly in a manner to be more clearly set forthhereinafter. When moved outwardly they will obviously project fartherfrom the body and will be adjusted toward each other to engage objectsof a particular size. When mo ed in the reverse direction they willaccommodate a larger object and this simultaneous adjustment andprojection is accomplished by means of an adjusting member or nut 11having threaded connection with a threaded stem 12 projecting from oneface of the head 3. The nut 11 adjacent its periphery contacts with theinner extremities of the jaw members 10 and has sliding contacttherewith so that as the nut 11 is screwed down upon the threaded stem12 the jaw members are moved longitudinally outwardly of the head andtoward each other. Surrounding the stem and seated within the recess 11of the nut 11 is a spring 13, the extremities of which are connected tothe respective jaw members 10. The function of this spring is twofold,in that it retains the jaw members from accidental displacement from thehead and furthermore causes a retraction of the jaw members when the nut11 is screwed upwardly or toward the end of the stem 12. This retractingaction is due to the fact that as the jaw members 10 are movedlongitudinally by the adjusting nut they are caused to approach eachother and to place the spring under tension, which tension is relievedupon unscrewing of the nut 11, thereby causing the jaw members to movein a direction opposite to that movement imparted by screwlng the nut 11down upon the stem 12. Thus it follows that while the nut 11 projectsthe jaw mem ers and adjusts them toward each other, they areautomatically retracted and moved away from each other (owing to theirdiagonal disposition in the head) when the nut 11 is adjusted in theopposite direction with respect to that just referred to.

It will be understood that the jaw members 10 may be suitably grooved asindicated at 14, or may be otherwise serrated to enable said jaw membersto provide a proper gripping action on the object engaged thereby. Thelateral projection in the manner indicated above enables the tool to beparticularly useful in gripping pipes or other objects which may beprojecting from a wall but not projecting sufliciently for engagement bythe ordinary wrenches of conventional type. In other respects theutility of the tool will be quite evident to those skilled in the art towhich the invention refers and it is moreover comprehended that dieelements may be substituted for the aw members and the wrench wouldstill perform its desired function with respect to the adjustment andoperation of its essential parts.

It need hardly be mentioned that the head 3 is capable of being rotatedby the handle 1 in either direction according to the engagement of thepawl 5 therewith.

Slight changes in the detail construction and arrangement of the partsmay be made within the spirit of the invention and the scope of theclaims hereto appended.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. A tool of theclass described comprising a handle, a revoluble head carried thereby,said head having transversely arranged, diagonal spaced passages, jawmembers movably mounted in said passages, and adjusting means coactingwith said jaw members to shift the same and thereby positively adjustthe jaw members with respect to each other.

2. A tool of the class described comprising a handle, a revoluble headcarried thereby, said head having diagonally arranged passagesconverging toward one side of the head, an adjusting member at theopposite side of the head, jaw members engaged by the adjusting member,and means on the head for causing movement of the adjusting membertoward or from the head whereby to actuate the jaw members for relativeadjustment incident to movement in the diagonal passages aforesaid.

3. A tool of the class described comprising a handle including a head,said head having independent passages therethrough, jaw members movablein said passages and adjustable with respect to each other incident tomovement therein, a relatively stationary threaded stem projecting fromthe head, and an adjusting nut movable on said stem toward or from thehead and cooperating with the jaw members to actuate the same.

4. A tool of the class described comprising a handle, a revoluble headcarried thereby, jaw members mounted substantially axially of the head,and traveling means movable toward or from the head and rotating againstthe ends of the jaw members for moving said members outwardly or inwardly of said head.

5. A tool of the class described comprising a handle, a revoluble headmounted thereon, ratchet means for rotating the head, jaw membersmovable transversely of said head to more or less project the same, arelatively stationary threaded stem carried by said head, an adjustingmember mounted on said stem cooperative with the jaw members when movedin one direction for adjusting the latter with respect to each other,spring means inclosed by the adjusting member, coacting with the awmembers and adapted to be placed under tension by the adjusting memberduring the movement thereof aforesaid, said spring means actuating thejaw members to retract the same into the head upon movement of theadjusting member in the other direction.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM C. KLIBER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of latenta, Washington, :D. .G.

